Perhaps readers thought that the DowDupont spinoff was beaten to death and were glad to see the final spinoff date pass. Sorry to disappoint, but there’s still more to say on the subject (and likely will be for some time!). In this week’s Odds and Ends we catch up on some of the recent action: 1. DuPont Gets… Read More »
A recent piece in Barron’s notes that “Sanford Bernstein analyst Jonas Oxgaard recently called the DowDuPont merger and 3-way split the “most complicated action in corporate history.”” It goes on to note, regarding the scale of the transactions: Oxgaard’s claim is difficult to verify, but it doesn’t feel far from the truth. Consider, legacy-Dow and legacy-duPont announced their intention to form the largest… Read More »
It seem like just last month that DowDuPont(DWDP) completed the spinoff of Dow(DOW). As was planned from the moment Dow and DuPont merged just a few short years ago, DowDuPont has one more spinoff to complete before it changes its name back to DuPont(or DuPont de Nemours, Inc., to be precise), and its ticker back to DD. DowDuPont’s… Read More »
Some combinations are long-lived. Procter & Gamble(PG) became partners in 1837. Others are over before they began. Dow and DuPont merged 18 months ago to form DowDuPont(DWDP). From the time the deal was announced 18 months earlier, they planned to break up. Now, after shuffling around some businesses, they have taken the first step in their breakup process.… Read More »
DowDuPont(DWDP) celebrates its last trading day intact today. After the bell, it will spin off Dow(DOW), and on June 1, it will spin off its agriscience business as Corteva. Shareholders will receive one share of Dow stock tonight for every three shares of DowDuPont stock owned. It has been a complicated road to get here. CEO Ed Breen… Read More »
A title pairing Robert Zimmerman and Madonna Louise Ciccone- too much? No matter, we’re having fun. DowDuPont(DWDP) is as well, with two spins coming up, the first in just weeks. It was just 36 months ago that Dow and DuPont announced their merger, and just 18 months ago when it closed. All along, they intended to split into… Read More »
It may be a new year, but we are reviving our series of popular Odds and Ends pieces. In this end of week edition, we hear from CEOs of spin off related companies. The buck has to stop somewhere so why not hear it straight from the top? The WSJ recently featured a chat with Ed Breen, the… Read More »
Every schoolchild is aware of the dangers of mixing water and electricity. Perhaps with this in mind, Pentair(PNR) will be spinning off its Electric division and retaining its Flow Control division. As every spinoff needs a gut-wrenchingly bad name with an even worse explanation of its meaning, the new company will be known as nVent Electric. Why? Beth… Read More »
Grab a tissue and say farewell to the Tyco (TYC) name. The former high flying conglomerate has a complicated history full of acquisitions (lots of those), strategy shifts, scandal ($6,000 shower curtains!) and of course, a lot of spinoffs. Current DuPont (DD) CEO Ed Breen smashed the company apart not once, but twice, creating three entities in both… Read More »
The WSJ is reporting that Dow Chemical (DOW) and DuPont (DD) are in advanced merger talks to create a chemical behemoth with leading positions across the chemical spectrum including ag, plastics and a host of other markets. Both companies have been shedding non-core and non-performing assets over the past few years, including some via spinoffs and exchange offers.… Read More »
Despite what appeared to be reasonable improvement in the first quarter since its spinoff from DuPont(DD), The Chemours Company(CC) stock has continued its downward spiral. The company which began when-issued trading at $21 in late June, closed at $6.43 yesterday. As we have discussed previously, the company is burdened with $4 billion in debt, plus unknowable environmental liability.… Read More »
A few short hits for the end of the week… The WSJ busted out an activist report card analyzing the results of ‘what happens to large U.S. companies after an activist arrives’. Naturally, the outcome is ‘mixed’. That said, it’s certainly an interesting data set to parse through and one is able to sort by activist or by… Read More »
In stark contrast to the American people’s growing heft, American conglomerates appear to be on a steady diet, often slimming down via spinoffs. Break up expert and Swiss-conglomerate Tyco International (TYC) is the latest fad follower as the company announced plans to split itself into three separate companies. The new businesses will be: ADT North America (residential security):… Read More »